Written by Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Pete Oswald
Published 2020
Rita and Ralph are best friends, living just a couple of hills apart. They have a special pinkie-shake and love to play games together. During a new game Rita gets hurt and they both are so confused as to what to do they each run home.
In addition to a physical hurt there are also hurt feelings and anger that Ralph and Rita have to work through. It takes a couple tries before they get it right, but they kept at it because that’s what friends do.
Hidden in the cheerful, sparse text that rolls along with repeating lines that kids love to say along with the reader, there’s a wonderful teaching moment. It shows that friendship involves saying sorry sometimes, and it acknowledges how hard it can be to navigate those big feelings when you’re small.
For the Love of Books, Old and New 
Leave a Reply